‘Lucy’ Fans Will Have a Ball With Classic Collections

Everyone loves Lucy--including video companies, two of whom are releasing collections of classic moments from the late Lucille Ball’s TV shows.

CBS/Fox has just released the second batch of shows from its “I Love Lucy Collection.” Priced at $14.98, Volumes 5, 6, 7 and 8 contain two programs each from the most enduringly popular TV series ever. Here’s the rundown:

Volume 5--”Lucy and Bob Hope” (1956) and “Lucy and Superman” (1957).

Volume 6--”Pioneer Woman” (1952), in which Lucy and Ethel try to cope without modern appliances, and “The Camping Trip” (1953).

Volume 7--”Never Do Business With Friends” (1953) and “The Courtroom” (1952), two shows with the usually friendly Ricardos and Mertzes battling it out for a change. The ferocity of their war in “The Courtroom” will probably startle fans who haven’t seen this episode before.

Volume 8--”The Ballet” (1952), another variation on the most typical “Lucy” plot, where she tries to break into show business, and “The Handcuffs,” a wild till-key-do-us-part episode.

Meanwhile, Goodtimes has just put out “A Tribute to Lucy” and “Lucy’s Lost Episodes,” two compilation tapes that run 80 minutes each yet cost only $9.95 each. “Tribute” documents Ball’s life and career and includes never-aired scenes from her post-”I Love Lucy” series “The Lucy Show.” “Lost Episodes” features highlights from “I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy Show,” “The Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour” and “Here’s Lucy” and Ball’s appearances on other shows, such as “Toast of the Town,” “What’s My Line” and “The Bob Hope Show.”

Otherwise, it’s a slow week at the video store, with no notable new movies. Pop-music fans, however, can choose from these:

“Paul McCartney: Put It There” (PMV, $24.95), a 65-minute video version of a documentary seen recently on Showtime cable.

“Indigo Girls: Live at the Uptown Lounge” (CMV, $19.98), 69 minutes of singing by the new, folky female duo.